a chronicle of a father and brewer honing his craft…

It’s a day early still, but while I’m thinking about it, I thought it best to get my resolutions for 2019 down on paper. My main resolutions this year are grouped into two areas: 1) brewing and 2) reading. Here is a quick summary, while I’ve provided more details below for what I have in mind right now…

Brew One New Beer Each MonthRead One Book Per Month

Brew One New Beer Each MonthFor new beers to brew in 2019, I pretty much always keep a running list of what I want to brew, so this was pretty easy to round out into a list of 12 to brew this year. Hopefully, I won’t be limited to this list and will find time to brew other things as well. I would love to hear your thoughts on how I should actually make these beers happen. And also, please shoot me a line if you want to get in on a brew day or help sample one of these beers!

Mango/Tamarind/Ginger NEIPA

Spiced Milk Stout

Munich Helles Lager

Coconut Porter (need to think of a way to make this new this year)

Chocolate Schwarzbier

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone

Vienna Lager

Tropical Porter & Coffee Porter

Berliner Weisse

E.S.B. (Fullers or Ska Clone)

California Common

American Brown Ale, spiced/fruited

So that is it for my current 2019 brew list…I’m sure it will chance and I’ll feel like mixing it up a bit, though that’s how I’m planning to start for now. Also, CO-Brew in Denver is also starting up a yeast-of-the-month club this year, to get one fresh yeast strain each month for brewing. I’m thinking of signing up for this so that I have fresh yeast pre-paid at a discount for each new brew. This will also allow me to stock up on my yeast bank for the year!

I would also like to have a more consistent routine of reading. In the past, I’ve been a voracious reader and it was one of the best calming, centering activities for me. So this year I want to make it a priority to read more books and consume less disposable media, news, and social media feeds. I think the best way to do that is to get excited about a few books to read this year. Here’s my list:

Read One Book Per Month1. A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, started on 12/29/20182. Paddle Your Own Canoe: Nick Offerman3. Brewing Ingredients: Malt4. The End’s of the World: Peter Brannan5. Brewing Ingredients: Hops6. Amazing Grace; Eric Metaxis7. Brewing Ingredients: Water8. In the Distance by Hernan Diaz9. Brewing Ingredients: Yeast10. Session Beers: Brewing for Flavor and Balance11. Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations12. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery